Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
March/April 2003

Alternative Jobs or Alternative Job Search Methods?

by Susan Harlan
EBSTC President-Elect

See the article Susan Harlan wrote on "Trends in Technical Writing" for the September/October issue of Devil Mountain News.

The Bottom Line

Last year after attending the STC Annual Conference, I wrote a story summarizing information from a variety of experts in the field who were talking about the business aspects of technical writing. It was the first time I'd heard the terms offshoring and ROI (return on investment). These speakers seemed to be talking about the future or someplace other than Silicon Valley where my focus had been on writing procedures with technical accuracy and also learning Dreamweaver.

That wasn't even a year ago, yet these terms and the conditions they represent are now the challenges that many of us are facing. It's not just the field of technical writing, either. In the past six to nine months more corporations have looked at their bottom line, their ROI, and decided that expenses could be decreased by employing people offshore who are also talented workers and working at rates that are substantially less than here.

Two months ago, a member of the Silicon Valley Chapter was laid off from a large Silicon Valley corporation along with 80% of their technical writers. The corporation decided to offset documentation expenditures by offshoring this work to India, where English is spoken and technically apt writers are available. Many companies in the Bay Area are now offshoring technical writing and other positions to India and the Philippines.

Here are some facts on offshoring:

• A recent study by Forrester Research Inc., which tracks trends in the information technology industry and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, estimates that U.S. employers will move 3.3 million white-collar service jobs offshore in the next 15 years for a total of $136 billion in wages.
• About 550 of 700 service job categories may be impacted, including technical writing, art and design, business operations (customer service and accounting), office support (home loans and insurance claims processing), sales, life sciences (medical and lab testing)—even management.

What's the Purpose of this Article?

Is this written to create fear, or cause you to think of moving into another profession, or to just give up? No! None of these. We need to think outside of the box once again and focus on a creative, new approach.

It's also a good time to get a more recent copy of the book, What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles, the #1 job-hunting book, that includes discussion of informational interviews and transferable skills. We may never return to the bliss of the year 2000, but the one line from a speaker at the Annual Conference that keeps returning to me is this: "Good writers are always needed."

Remember that! An important fact is that not all writing can be offshored. Right now we're talking about the larger corporations and then those with contacts or roots in countries that have the worker resources. In the future, of course, global resource companies will be able to provide services to all sizes of companies, so that not just large corporations will be affected.

Yet, globalization means geographic distance and some cultural distance, so that a writer located in the Bay Area is able to talk with SMEs (subject matter experts) face-to-face, and this will still be needed for some projects. In this first year of expansive offshore outsourcing, we have not yet seen (or heard) results of these efforts. Does this documentation pass a usability test? It is possible that some companies, or at least some departments, might find that this process does not contribute to the bottom line.

Tap into Local Needs

Current data shows the growth of offshoring will increase at a significant rate, but there are still some local employment needs. This is where you and I fit in. We will find opportunities here, and while the remuneration may decrease further and the competition may increase, we also are going to rely on some new job-searching skills. How do I meet this challenge? Perhaps this is the time to take some business classes that will introduce you to ROI, metrics, and case studies. Are you able to write a simple business plan for your goal of finding your next job?

Networking is very important in the job search process now and will continue to be in the future. If you're an active member of STC, that's a good start. Our chapter has a Networking SIG for people looking for work, which provides more contacts and resources. Are you also participating in community groups? These can be state-run UI (unemployment insurance) groups, or a Chamber of Commerce, or a small personal support group. The more people you talk with and the more frequently you reach out in the community, the better your networking results.

In a paper to be presented at the 2003 STC Annual Conference, Silicon Valley Chapter member Marie Highby and SVC President Beau Cain offer additional suggestions for technical writers "to stay viable in the market." These include:

• Stay up-to-date with an ever-changing array of programs.
• Develop organizational skills and business knowledge required for implementing enterprise-wide systems.
• Learn to think visually and communicate via graphics and design as well as words.

Improvise Your Skills

Job opportunities will not be automatic with these skills, but you will be competitive in the marketplace. Who will be hiring? The San Jose Mercury News article on February 23 states that "young companies in new industries are hiring." This includes biotech firms and those with web-related products. The Mercury News also cites a survey from Lee Hecht Harrison that found "additional hiring among hospitals, health-care providers, medical device companies and aerospace and defense firms."

It is important to look for writing opportunities—technical and other types—in different job areas, and this means different types of employers. Some of our experienced East Bay members are improvising, refocusing on how to use their writing skills, and are currently employed.

East Bay member and former president Diana Wilcoxson offers some personal advice on how to handle the current job market. After some networking, a positive first meeting, and then some good luck, she is now working with the Bailey Team, a RE/MAX real estate firm in Danville. She says, "I couldn't ask for anything more. It is a varied and exciting position, which enables me to use the skills I have—writing advertisements, flyers, postcards, magazine articles, a newsletter, a web site—as well as personal relationship skills. I would encourage people who are thinking of making a transition to think seriously about what they really like to do outside of technical communications and see where their skills could be used."

Another EB member, Dave Gardner, is active in the Medical Writers SIG in Santa Clara, and he is now selling cars in Tracy. That's not all he does, of course. He explains that he "sometimes takes time off for some other functions—such as the one in Pleasanton put on by a law firm and an IT group on How to Write a Business Plan and How to Communicate with Venture Capitalists. I met a bunch of prospects there (not for my car lot activities, but for my writing gigs). We really enjoyed networking with all the folks there before and after the meeting. It was a good place to exchange business cards and get info on new directions for careers. I also attended a seminar on biotech a few weeks ago on FDA and NIH regulatory requirements and 'How to Write Grant Proposals for the NIH.'"

Offering Solutions

These stories show that some of our East Bay members are thriving in what others call difficult times. Our chapter is focusing on what will best help our members in their job search and career focus. As President-Elect of the East Bay Chapter this year, I have worked with our current President Melody Brumis to offer some direction and solutions in job-searching and career questions. Your suggestions for future meeting topics and other services or events are welcome. Please send me an email.

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